Healthy snacks that help with quitting smoking?

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  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    That is how I quit smoking too, an electronic cig.............used it sparingly for about a month..............been smoke-free since August 10th, 2011 :bigsmile: After 23 yrs of smoking, it was a last resort!



    This is how I did it! That thing is amazing. I also started gaining weight so I started taking bee pollen to curb that appetite! I was lucky to have only gained 8 lbs before I discovered the bee pollen.

    When I was taking it for appetite suppression, I would take 2 right before breakfast on an empty stomach and 2 right before lunch, or I would take them with a protein shake.

    Now I take them right before a run (we live in the city and pass by several restaurants that smell fantastic) or in the spring/summer AFTER I eat to help treat allergy symptoms.

    Gum is also good.

    Good luck! You will not regret this I promise. I loved loved loved smoking and could not imagine being so happy with out it, but I will say my life is so much better with out those darn things. They are expensive now too.

    Hmmm, never heard of the bee pollen...........I gained about the same amount of weight as you, under 10 pds..........the e-cig helped me I think because of the hand to mouth motion..........I tried evrything else before with no success!!!

    Congrats to everyone that has quit and to those in the process!! It will eventually get easier!!!


    I could not stop eating, omg, it was the most insane thing ever. The bee pollen curbed that insatiable appetite as well as gave me other benefits that made me happy.

    Nicotine is the most addictive drug there is, after 25 years of smoking and trying to stop all the time, the ecig is the only thing that actually worked for me. You are right, it had a lot to do with habits of hands, I also got satisfaction in blowing out the vapor for some reason.
  • shadee321
    shadee321 Posts: 30 Member
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    CARRY A TRAVEL TOOTHBURSH , BRUSH AFTER YOU EAT CAUSE WE KNOW THAT IS A HARD SMOKE TO GIVE UP. HEY WHY DONT YOU FREIND ME ? I HAVE BEEN THINKING HARD TO START THE QUITTING PROCESS. I HAVENT REALLY STARTED BUT MAYBE I WILL. GOOD LUCK
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    This is for any of you that are considering stopping. This is A GREAT way to either stop or be healthier about it since there are so many cancer causing additives in a cig that are not in this. I also wanted to state that I am not a part of this organization and am not making any money off of them.

    http://www.smokesation.com/electronic-cigarette-kit-v-go/
  • tonybdavies
    tonybdavies Posts: 22
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    I gave up smoking 7 years ago, and I'll try to recall what I did at the time, mmmm. I recall water helped me a lot when I craved a cigarette.

    Beware foods or drinks linked to smoking, like Coffee which only exacerbates the problem, that's why I the water helped me.
  • BrandNewMia
    BrandNewMia Posts: 461
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    I quit January 1. I did not log my food for 8-10 days until I had the cigi cravings under control. I didn't go nuts eating a bunch of crap, but I just wanted to focus on kicking the nicotine habit without stressing about my nutrition.

    It's great to see so many responses from ex-smokers! Lots of different methods for quitting, we all found something that worked for us :drinker:
  • jody664
    jody664 Posts: 397 Member
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    I stopped smoking in May 2011 cold turkey. I gained about 20 lb, which is why I'm here.

    Frozen blueberries
    Popcorn (either the microwaveable fat free ones or air popped)
    Coffee (switched to decaf around 3pm or I'd be up all night)

    To keep my hands busy in the evening (when I was most tempted to smoke), I took up crochet while I watched TV.
  • SLaw4215
    SLaw4215 Posts: 596 Member
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    I opted for the nicotine patch to quit..... and during final exams weeks I will chew Coffee Flavored Nips candies (30 calories each). I still need the oral fixation when I am stressed out. My husband ate an apple everytime he wanted a cigarette when he was quitting. Can't say he likes apples much anymore but he did manage to quit.
  • CriminalMIndsFan
    CriminalMIndsFan Posts: 13
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    I opted for the nicotine patch to quit..... and during final exams weeks I will chew Coffee Flavored Nips candies (30 calories each). I still need the oral fixation when I am stressed out. My husband ate an apple everytime he wanted a cigarette when he was quitting. Can't say he likes apples much anymore but he did manage to quit.


    This is my problem. I smoke when I'm stressed....at least that's what I did before I decided to quit. Now I don't know what to do and I'm under a lot of stress right now. For starters I'm living with 4 other adults and 2 small children in a small 3 bedroom place where my "bedroom" is the livingroom and I am winding up with little to no privacy.....then there's the fact that I still have 99.9% of what little "property" I own in the state I fled for my life from when my ex husband tried to kill me. That stuff is in a storage unit that I really can't afford but have no way to get to that state to clear out my storage unit right now and if I did I have no place to put my belongings......top all that with the fact that my new fiance is in a war zone in Afganastan until December when his unit is scheduled to come home and now is really not the best time for a stress smoker to pick to quit smoking. I survived the first 24 hours without caving into the cravings though so I think I can make it......I'm proud of myself for making it this far :bigsmile:
  • CriminalMIndsFan
    CriminalMIndsFan Posts: 13
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    PS: Wasn't easy but I survived the first 24 + hours being smoke free :) This morning the cravings were pretty easy to ignore but about 12:15PM I couldn't ignore it anymore. Grabbed 2 pieces of strong, minty gum to chew on which helped and when the next really bad craving hit I went for a nice walk in the woods. That really got my mind off it especially when I stopped for a break and a beautifull deer snuck up fairly close behind me. I sat perfectly still until she wandered off and then came home. It was a breathtaking 2 minutes(approximate). Tonight between gum and watching movies I've been able to handle the cravings easier.......I wonder how tomorrow is going to go......
  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 707 Member
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    I used to hang out at the about.com smoking cessation forums, and one thing they really drove home for me was this: a craving usually lasts just a few minutes, and it passes whether you smoke or not. If you smoke, though, you've just guaranteed you'll have another, stronger craving soon and you've just put yourself right back to square one. I used to view every craving I rode out (ice water helped me immensely with cravings) as a victory, because that meant I was one step closer to being done, one craving farther away from being a smoker. It always helped, made me feel in control and like a winner.

    Another thing that helped? A quit meter. Silk Quit makes a good one for free download. Every morning I'd get up and look at that thing on my computer screen, see how many cigarettes I hadn't smoked, see how much money I hadn't put torch to, and it helped a lot--very reinforcing.

    Good luck--you can do it!


    Kris
  • CriminalMIndsFan
    CriminalMIndsFan Posts: 13
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    I used to hang out at the about.com smoking cessation forums, and one thing they really drove home for me was this: a craving usually lasts just a few minutes, and it passes whether you smoke or not. If you smoke, though, you've just guaranteed you'll have another, stronger craving soon and you've just put yourself right back to square one. I used to view every craving I rode out (ice water helped me immensely with cravings) as a victory, because that meant I was one step closer to being done, one craving farther away from being a smoker. It always helped, made me feel in control and like a winner.

    Another thing that helped? A quit meter. Silk Quit makes a good one for free download. Every morning I'd get up and look at that thing on my computer screen, see how many cigarettes I hadn't smoked, see how much money I hadn't put torch to, and it helped a lot--very reinforcing.

    Good luck--you can do it!


    Kris

    I'm on day 3 now of not smoking. So far I'm coping. Been sucking on candy canes since they are the only hard candy we have in the house I'm living in right now, chewing on gum and doing anything else I can think of to occupy my mind when cravings hit. The problem is that they seem to be getting stronger with each one that hits. I know I am strong enough to get past this.....at least I know that now.....there was a time when I didn't realize how strong I am because I had forgotten. I do have an E-Cig but I'm really trying to get away from smoking completely so I don't want to break down and use it. Now I'm getting to the stage where some of the cravings are so strong I start shaking badly......I knew it was going to be hard to quit I just didn't think it would be this hard. I guess I should have expected it with how much stress I'm under and stress being my main trigger for smoking...........
  • CurryGirl89
    CurryGirl89 Posts: 21
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    My mom ate carrot sticks when she was quitting
  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
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    It took me a long time to get over the oral fixation and the need to have something in my hand all the time.

    The physical addition only lasts a week or so (or so I've heard). It's breaking the mannerisms that's hard. Use whatever you have to for a week, then try to break those habits as well.

    I also quit drinking some years ago & it took a LONG time before I could feel comfortable in a "cocktail party" atmosphere without a glass of soda or something in my hand. I'm a lot happier now that I can just stand there and talk without anything in my hands - there's no longer that "empty" feeling.
  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 707 Member
    Options
    I used to hang out at the about.com smoking cessation forums, and one thing they really drove home for me was this: a craving usually lasts just a few minutes, and it passes whether you smoke or not. If you smoke, though, you've just guaranteed you'll have another, stronger craving soon and you've just put yourself right back to square one. I used to view every craving I rode out (ice water helped me immensely with cravings) as a victory, because that meant I was one step closer to being done, one craving farther away from being a smoker. It always helped, made me feel in control and like a winner.

    Another thing that helped? A quit meter. Silk Quit makes a good one for free download. Every morning I'd get up and look at that thing on my computer screen, see how many cigarettes I hadn't smoked, see how much money I hadn't put torch to, and it helped a lot--very reinforcing.

    Good luck--you can do it!


    Kris

    I'm on day 3 now of not smoking. So far I'm coping. Been sucking on candy canes since they are the only hard candy we have in the house I'm living in right now, chewing on gum and doing anything else I can think of to occupy my mind when cravings hit. The problem is that they seem to be getting stronger with each one that hits. I know I am strong enough to get past this.....at least I know that now.....there was a time when I didn't realize how strong I am because I had forgotten. I do have an E-Cig but I'm really trying to get away from smoking completely so I don't want to break down and use it. Now I'm getting to the stage where some of the cravings are so strong I start shaking badly......I knew it was going to be hard to quit I just didn't think it would be this hard. I guess I should have expected it with how much stress I'm under and stress being my main trigger for smoking...........

    The problem with cravings is that they reverberate in our minds if we give them even the smallest chance. When a craving hits, find something to do. I cleaned the house thoroughly to get rid of the smoke smell, cleaned out the car for the same reason. I scrubbed walls, shampooed carpets, etc., creating a "no smoking ever" zone that was really reinforcing. I took up hobbies that I'd never done while smoking--needlepoint was one. I knocked back big swigs of ice water every time a craving hit. And I remembered, ever time, that this is only for a few minutes, and even if it seems intense, *I* am the boss of me, not some stupid craving that's going to pass.

    The thing about stress is that it's always there. Always. And it will never bee a "good" time to quit because there's never a stretch where there isn't a lot of stress. And the funny thing is, smoking, which so many of us did to "relieve" stress, often causes or contributes the very stress it seems to be relieving. But I have faith in you because this is something you want. And you're stronger than cravings, every one of those cravings you ride through is a victory and a step closer to a life without cravings and without tobacco.

    Just keep hanging in and doing what you're doing. If you haven't gotten a quit meter, do. If you haven't checked out about.com's smoking cessation forum, do.

    Kris
  • CriminalMIndsFan
    CriminalMIndsFan Posts: 13
    Options
    I used to hang out at the about.com smoking cessation forums, and one thing they really drove home for me was this: a craving usually lasts just a few minutes, and it passes whether you smoke or not. If you smoke, though, you've just guaranteed you'll have another, stronger craving soon and you've just put yourself right back to square one. I used to view every craving I rode out (ice water helped me immensely with cravings) as a victory, because that meant I was one step closer to being done, one craving farther away from being a smoker. It always helped, made me feel in control and like a winner.

    Another thing that helped? A quit meter. Silk Quit makes a good one for free download. Every morning I'd get up and look at that thing on my computer screen, see how many cigarettes I hadn't smoked, see how much money I hadn't put torch to, and it helped a lot--very reinforcing.

    Good luck--you can do it!


    Kris


    I'm on day 3 now of not smoking. So far I'm coping. Been sucking on candy canes since they are the only hard candy we have in the house I'm living in right now, chewing on gum and doing anything else I can think of to occupy my mind when cravings hit. The problem is that they seem to be getting stronger with each one that hits. I know I am strong enough to get past this.....at least I know that now.....there was a time when I didn't realize how strong I am because I had forgotten. I do have an E-Cig but I'm really trying to get away from smoking completely so I don't want to break down and use it. Now I'm getting to the stage where some of the cravings are so strong I start shaking badly......I knew it was going to be hard to quit I just didn't think it would be this hard. I guess I should have expected it with how much stress I'm under and stress being my main trigger for smoking...........

    The problem with cravings is that they reverberate in our minds if we give them even the smallest chance. When a craving hits, find something to do. I cleaned the house thoroughly to get rid of the smoke smell, cleaned out the car for the same reason. I scrubbed walls, shampooed carpets, etc., creating a "no smoking ever" zone that was really reinforcing. I took up hobbies that I'd never done while smoking--needlepoint was one. I knocked back big swigs of ice water every time a craving hit. And I remembered, ever time, that this is only for a few minutes, and even if it seems intense, *I* am the boss of me, not some stupid craving that's going to pass.

    The thing about stress is that it's always there. Always. And it will never bee a "good" time to quit because there's never a stretch where there isn't a lot of stress. And the funny thing is, smoking, which so many of us did to "relieve" stress, often causes or contributes the very stress it seems to be relieving. But I have faith in you because this is something you want. And you're stronger than cravings, every one of those cravings you ride through is a victory and a step closer to a life without cravings and without tobacco.

    Just keep hanging in and doing what you're doing. If you haven't gotten a quit meter, do. If you haven't checked out about.com's smoking cessation forum, do.

    Kris

    On the positive side there is no smoking allowed in the house I'm living in. Unfortunately the other 4 adults I live with ALL smoke........so even though I'm trying to quit I'm constantly around smokers. Yet two of them are actually encouraging me to continue on with trying to quit. When the cravings have been so bad that I have started shaking I just start repeating my reasons for quitting in my mind. Number one: The cost....what I'm paying for each pack of cigs could be going toward something better for me. Number two: The family my fiance and I want to start....when I get pregnant I will need to quit anyway so why not quit now? Number three: I promised my fiance I would take care of myself and my health which means taking steps to make sure I'm as healthy as I can be. My fiance is coming home for a few weeks soon for R & R and we are going to be looking at buying a house. If we find one that we like I will be moving out of this place so I won't be around smokers which I think will help me out a lot. That's also part of why I picked now to quit. I don't want to be going through the really bad cravings while he is here. I want to be through the worst of it while he is here that way I can enjoy our time together more.

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